❄ Cold Relations ❄ [SEVENTEEN] ✓

Chapter 21: A Little Sleuthing (i.e. Woozi's Scavenger Hunt)

A large plastic thermometer was half buried in the dark soil of an unkempt flower garden, leaning heavily against the faded brick siding of the hotel wall. In the glistening sunlight, Hoshi traced the red line to the black number marking and said, "Ah, forty-six degrees. Not nearly cold enough for the water to freeze. I wonder what the problem could be." He was about to ask The8 for his opinion—maybe his Chinese friend could look upon the situation from a fresh viewpoint—but he was no longer there.

Hoshi raced through the front doors and repeatedly pressed the button for the elevator until it let him inside. Woozi was right where they had left him, pacing a narrow path on the carpet, lost in thought, and absently gnawing on a fingernail. Hoshi was nearly out of breath when he arrived—and not from the short run but from the shock of The8's disappearance. "I bring news."

"Let's hear it."

"Forty-six degrees—the pipes did not freeze."

"And?"

"How did you know there's more?"

"I can tell by the look in your eyes. You seem troubled."

"I am. The8's gone."

"What? What do you mean, 'gone?'"

"Just that—gone. Minghao was standing right beside me the entire trip. We even talked while we were in the elevator. But when we got outside, and I turned to ask him a question, there was no sign of him. It was almost as if he had evaporated into thin air."

"That is strange," Woozi said quietly. Gently resting a hand on Hoshi's shoulder—something he seldom did—he tried to comfort his friend with a few carefully chosen words. "If The8 did leave, it was entirely his choice. We can't worry about him now. We have more pressing issues to attend to—like sabotage, for instance. And I have a feeling I know exactly who's involved." Woozi told Hoshi his plan.

"Why pin it all on Mingyu? He hasn't even been around."

"And that's exactly what makes me suspicious. S.Coups purposely stationed his team in the supermarket because he knew we had to eat and that we'd show up sooner or later. Yet Mingyu's team has gone into hiding, and they've been waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That moment is now."

Hoshi narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure he'd stoop this low?"

"I wouldn't put it past him." Woozi folded the cuffs of his sweater sleeves. "It's either Mingyu or Jun. And my money's on Mingyu."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Hoshi said one last time. "It could be dangerous, going out on your own and seeking him out."

"The8's left us in a hard position. Someone has to stay here to take care of Vernon, and that's you." Woozi shrugged. "I'll be fine. The two of us would attract too much attention. Think of what happened when Vernon and I went out. No, I'll think I'll regard this as a solo mission. With any luck, The8 will turn up and meet me halfway."

Hoshi patted Woozi's arm and flashed a brave smile for his friend's sake. "Good luck—and stay safe."

Woozi bent his arms, raised his hands, and kicked out his foot. "I'm like a small ninja. I guarantee they'll never see me coming."

~.~.~

Woozi knew as soon as he set out on this journey that finding someone who didn't want to be found was not going to be easy. Though he was confident that if anyone could beat the odds, it was him. He travelled along sidewalks, cut through alleys—sometimes running, sometimes walking—climbed over fences, weaved through parked cars, and followed the twists and turns of his own intuition. After hours of fruitless searching, Jihoon paused to catch his breath beside a lamppost on a wide street before the intersection. He checked his surroundings—an old-fashioned diner on one side and a new, state-of-the-art movie theater on the other. Then something white streaked with color attracted his sharp gaze. A note was taped to the theater's glass doors, fluttering in the wind, as if daring him to approach.